Diamond Freed
by Teddybear no1
Summary: OK. Well. Here it is. What happened to the boys after they get out of Twisted Desires! Will James and Kendall get to be together? Will Carlos still want Logan after he lied to him about being a cop? (Come on! You know I'm crap at the blurb!)
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N OK. This is as much a shock for me as it will be for anyone still out there in the fandom! I have two and a half chapters of the follow up to Caged Diamond written. They are not really proof read or anything but my laptop is not doing great so I have decided to post them so I don't lose them. I am trying very hard to get back into writing and to be honest I have just written something for the very first time in a long while tonight. Let me know what ya think of this. As yet this is clean but expect M rating if it gets continued!**_

 _ **Love and hugs**_

 _ **Allie )O(**_

A month had passed since Logan had shot and killed Griffin and his bodyguard before the police had finally raided Twisted Desires. Byron had pretty much recovered from the broken bone in his leg and the damage from the gunshot wound that Logan had been forced to inflict on the MC. Now that he was once again able to hobble around with the aid of a pair of crutches he had left the country to join Bill in Germany for a little vacation while he recuperated. He promised he would be back within the next month or two. James and Carlos had visited him constantly while he recovered from his surgery. Every day, as soon as the doctor had checked on him and visitors were allowed, they would be there. The first week they never came alone, an officer brought them the first couple of days, partially so that they could get the details of what had happened from the man as soon as he was ready to talk. After that, they tended to come with other members of staff from the club, Sean the cook, several of the dancers, Lucas and Alyx. Eventually of course they arrived with the people that Byron had been hoping to see them with. Carlos arrived holding tightly to the former under-cover officer's hand on the third week and introduced him as his boyfriend with an extremely cute blush on his cheeks. Although Kendall and James did not hold hands when the blonde came with them to visit, it was pretty clear that they were getting on very well together.

Camille had been promoted since the night that the boys had been freed. Gustavo and Kelly had been really impressed with the way she had handled running Club Rocque for the night in their absence. Now she was pretty much in charge of all the female artistes that worked there.

 _The night the Diamond had been freed_

When Kelly led James and Carlos into the club Camille was barely been able to contain her excitement. The Diamond was actually here, in front of her. Kelly briefly introduced them, even though she was perfectly aware that the girl knew who they were. It was very late at night when they got back and Kelly had phoned Camille while they were in the cab to ask her to prepare two beds in the one empty room in the living quarters of the club.

The room had been James' room last time he had been resident here and no one had been allowed to take it over since he had left. It was pretty much unchanged. The extra bed had always been there, it used to be covered in teddies when he was there, even when he had gotten older. Most of them had gone with him when he had left to live with his mother and the bastard who had claimed to love her. The man who had tempted Brooke into a life of prostitution and drugs and then had sold her beautiful child to Griffin and into a life in chains for so many years. There had been one teddy left on the bed when Camille had come to change the bedding for the new occupants of the room and she had carefully placed the neglected toy on the wicker chair between the two beds. She didn't know who had occupied the room before, it had always puzzled her why it was left empty.

James was still been in a state of shock and distress when they arrived back at the club. Camille was a little flustered when she realised who Kelly and Gustavo had bought back to the club with them. The Diamond was actually here at Club Rocque? It took her a moment to realise what was different about him. Of course! The collar was gone! She quickly pulled herself together and followed Kelly and the two young men up the stairs to the room that she had prepared for them. Carlos had turned to look at her as they climbed the stairs, a shy smile on his lips. James still clung to Kelly for a moment, towering over her with fear still flashing in the golden eyes before he finally stepped out of her grasp and stepped over the threshold into the bedroom and took in his surroundings. The building had changed a little since he had left and as he entered his old room his eyes widened and he stopped dead. He stared around for a moment until a wide smile broke onto his lips. He turned back to face the woman as she stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and a grin on her face.

"Do you remember this room, baby boy?" She asked him as she watched him walk further in, over to the bed that had been his for so many years. He suddenly noticed the bear and rushed over and pulled it into a fierce hug. As Kelly watched him, the years rolled away and he was the young boy that she remembered for just a moment, all the pain and horror of what he had seen and experienced washed away. Then it all seemed to rush back on him and he crumbled, sitting down hard on the bed as the tears began to flow again, wetting the soft, brown fur of the toy as he buried his face between the ears. Carlos and Camille watched from the door as Kelly strode quickly across to sit beside him and he slowly leant into her warm embrace.

"Why did we leave here?" He sobbed as he clutched the toy tighter.

"We were happy here. I was happy here. " He let out another hiccoughing sob and Kelly's heart almost broke all over again at his next words, knowing that she could never give him what he wanted.

"I miss my mommy."

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him as close as she could, rocking him gently as if he was still the child she had loved and lost and not the beautiful, muscular man that he had become.

It was late. Tomorrow the two young men could begin to live again, for tonight, they just needed rest. Even the eternally hungry Carlos wasn't interested in food when it was offered. Instead he gratefuly sunk onto the other bed and curled onto his side, still clothed in a t-shirt and sweats that the cops had supplied him with. His own clothing had been taken away as evidence due to it being covered in the blood of his former boss. Kelly managed to get James to settled in his bed, he wouldn't release his hold on the bear though and clutched it to his chest as he turned to face Carlos across the gap between the two beds.

Kelly and Camille left them alone and headed towards the office where Gustavo sat by the light of a lamp just staring into space. He glanced up as the two women joined him, he scowled as usual briefly and then pulled off his sunglasses and flashed a brief sad smile in their direction.

"How are they?" He asked. Kelly sat down facing him.

"Don't really know. They need time to get over what happened tonight. Jamie has stopped crying for the moment. " She flashed a warm smile at him. "But they are at least out of that place. "

Gustavo nodded in agreement before trying to make himself sound business-like.

"We'll give them a couple of weeks to get adjusted. maybe a month and then they can audition for the club and see where it goes from there."

Kelly nodded in agreement although they both knew how stupid that statement was. Like they were going to turn down a performer of James' calibre? Or turn the boy who they had helped raise out on the streets ? They decided that it was far too late to do anything more so they sent Camille home in a taxi and Kelly and Gustavo headed for their beds.

Kelly did look in once more on her Jamie and his Latino friend and she found both boys finally asleep. They each had a hand stretched across the gap between their beds and their fingers were tightly entwined. She smiled and left them to their sleep.

Although the two young men were now free from Griffin and all that happened in his awful club, he still tormented their sleep. Their hands seperated in their sleep and both ended up twisting and turning for most of the night. What they had witnessed earlier in the day played over and over in their heads. Kelly slipped down to check on them a couple of times before morning and found James crying in his sleep. She sat beside him and rocked him gently in her arms and he slowly quietened. Not once did his eyes open though. Carlos was restless in his bed but did not cry like James.

When the morning came they were awoken by the alien experience of the sun shining on their faces through the window behind their beds. Carlos woke first and sat in the bed looking around himself as he tried to work out exactly where he was. He crept out of his bed and stood to look out of the window. His eyes widened as he realised that he could see the ocean from where he stood and his exclaimations of pleasant surprise woke James who was still twisted in his covers with the teddy clutched close to his chest.

He smiled up at his friend and stretched his hand around his now bared neck as he yawned. He stopped dead when his fingers connected with bare skin and not the leather that he had been so used to. He dropped the bear to the bed and stood to join his friend, looking out at the view with eyes full of wonder.

"Is it all over?" Carlos whispered, turning to face his friend.

James took a deep breath, all the pain and nightmares forgotten for a moment.

"Yeah, Carlos. I think it actually is. I'm home."

 _ **If you read it, please review so I know if there is anyone reading this!**_


	2. First Morning Of Freedom

Part 2

It was actually a little past mid-day when the two young men woke, both still dressed in sweats and t-shirts that had been given to them at the police department as their own clothing had been taken away as evidence. They made their way out of the room to see who else was about, Carlos was complaining that he was hungry and that made James smile. At least the Latino was getting back to normal. They headed up the passageway in the direction that James thought he remembered the kitchen being in and soon found themselves in a small communal room with a refridgerator and a cooker and various cupboards. There was bread and boxes of cereals on a counter but they did not feel right just helping themselves so they went back out and went to see if there was anyone around. It felt so strange to just walk around with no one 'keeping an eye on them' or, for James, hanging onto his chain.

But there was no chain now. And no more collars. James subconsciously ran his fingers over the back of his neck, marveling at the feel of soft skin instead of hard leather and metal strips. They had almost made it to the top of the stairs when they heard feminine voices and the click of heels coming up the stairs and both stopped dead as if they were in trouble. But it was only Kelly, dashing up the stairs loaded up with shopping bags and still calling down to one of the hostesses who was on the door greeting the guests. She smiled wide as she saw the two boys watching her with a little fear in their eyes.

"Ahh! Good! You're awake. How are you feeling this ..." She paused and looked at her watch and chuckled. "Afternoon?"

James smiled a sad little smile and glanced across at his companion,shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweats.

"I think we're OK. Carlos is hungry. " He grinned at her and looked across at the other boy again and saw a blush flash over his golden skin.

"Carlos is always hungry!" He informed her.

"He wasn't last night." She reminded them and the smile left James' lips again.

"Last night was different. We were frightened and confused."

Carlos nodded in agreement.

"Do you know how Byron is?" James asked.

"The police have already been here, but I said you needed your sleep after what happened yesterday. I will phone them in a while, now you are awake. They said they will take you to see him. He is out of surgery and recovering. They want to speak to him and he has been asking after you two."

"He's going to be alright? "

"They think so. " She held one of the shopping bags out to James and one to Carlos.

"I hope these fit. While you were sleeping I ran to the stores and bought you some clothes. The cops said they will take you back to the club so you can pick up any stuff that you need. Now. Let's go feed you boys then you can shower and get changed. Yeah?"

Carlos was looking in the bag that she had given him, but raised his head again when she mentioned food, nodding enthusiastically. Kelly slipped past them to lead them back to the kitchen.

After a late breakfast of sausage and eggs the two boys made their way back to the bedroom while Kelly phoned the police to let them know that the two boys were awake. Not knowing what kind of clothes the boys liked she had just bought them blue jeans and a couple of t-shirts each, one black and one white. She'd guessed at sizes and James' shirt was a little snug but it showed off his body amazingly well. When they left the room again the show downstairs was well underway and the sound of the music carried up the stairs as they headed back down the hall, looking for Kelly again.

She was in Gustavo's office at the end of the hall with the manager and a tall, English man with a very camp, lispy voice wearing a sparkly black suit and shiny shoes. He was clearly not very happy about something and when he saw the boys through the open door he stood from his chair and flounced out and headed downstairs while grumbling very loudly about something that the boys didn't quite catch. Gustavo called them into the office and got up from his seat to open the blind so that he could see down into the club below.

The lunchtime trade was for music and dancers in sexy costumes with a little light lunch and drinks. The ladies wore a little more than they did in the evening and the jokes from the MC were not so risque. As the dancers finished their routine the MC took to the stage, it was the man who had just left the office. James had come to stand next to Gustavo and watch what was going on below with interested eyes. For a few moments the large man just stood watching as the boy studied what was going on down on the stage.

"What do ya think of the dancers?" He asked James when the next group of girls were well into their performance.

James was suprised that he asked his opinion but smiled and nodded.

"Good." Was his one word answer.

"What about if we put some boys into the mix?" Kelly was watching him intently and Carlos had moved over to watch too.

"Yeah. That could work." James smiled as he returned to watching the performance intently.

He remembered doing this when he was younger, he used to sit in Gustavo's big, padded, swirly chair and watch while his mom and Kelly and the other dancers performed for the lunch-time audience. By the time they returned for the evening show he would be fast asleep in his bed, dreaming sweet dreams with no idea of the pain and horror that was to come into his perfect life.

Gustavo had taken off his trade mark shades and was fiddling distractedly with them

"Would you like to work here?" He finally asked, then turned and looked at the Latino too.

"Both of you, I mean. If. If you want to, of course."

James' heart leapt and he turned quickly before Gustavo had a chance to react and wrapped his arms tightly around the man in a bone-crushing hug. He never answered with words, but his actions had more eloquence than any spoken reply. The big man hesitated briefly before returning the hug, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall as the realization that they had got 'their' boy back hit him.

Before they had time to think about anything else there was a discreet knock on the open door behind them. A pretty blonde woman had shown the two police officers up to Gustavo's office and the manager broke away from the young man's embrace quickly to greet them. There was a tall red-haired guy with shades who introduced himself as Detective O'Riorden and Detective Jones who had been in charge of the operation at the club the day before. She was a hard woman, good at her job, but she smiled warmly at the two young men in their matching jeans and t-shirts.

"Afternoon, boys. Are you ready to talk some more?" She asked.

"I thought we were going to see Byron?" Carlos looked a little concerned.

"We can talk while we're at the hospital. They don't need an adult, do they?" She asked Kelly as the woman fussed over James' t-shirt that had rumpled up as he hugged Gustavo. She shook her head.

" I think they are both legally adults. " They had established that the day before during the group interviews at the police precinct.

"Yeah. But do you want to come with us? In case we find out anything you need to know?"

Kelly thought about it, but maybe they needed to speak alone. She didn't really know much about what had happened in the club and she wasn't entirely sure that she was ready to know. She had noticed when they had put them to bed the night before that Carlos had winced slightly as he had adjusted his position on the mattress and she was both curious and fearful of what kind of injuries might lay beneath his clothing.

"No. I'll see you boys later." As James stepped up to follow the police officers out she reached up to place a soft kiss on his cheek. She barely knew Carlos, but she felt that he was her responsibility too now so she grabbed him in a brief hug as he passed her. She didn't want him to feel like he was just a nobody and James was everything. He surprised her by returning it warmly with a cheeky grin and a soft 'thank you'.

The long hospital corridor they walked along was painted white with harsh strip lighting above them and an unpleasant 'clinical' smell in the air. Both boys had been quiet in the car that had driven them here and still neither spoke as they followed behind the two officers. James glanced over at Carlos and seeing his nervous expression he reached across and took his hand. It still felt alien to be able to do such a simple thing as hold his friends hand after so many years of being forbidden virtually all physical contact.

Detective Jones stopped at a door and prepared to enter the glanced quickly about and then cursed under her breath when a loud shout rang out.

"Hey!" A middle-aged woman with her hair pulled back in a severe bun and wearing a nurse's uniform was rushing towards them with an angry look on her face.

"What did I tell you two yesterday?" Jones turned to meet the woman and smiled, trying to placate her.

"We need to speak to him."

"And I told you that he is not ready to talk yet. When he tells me he is I will call you." She started to shoo them back.

Carlos was upset and whispered to James as they too began to back up the corridor, back towards where they had come from.

"Aren't we going to see Byron?" He looked back towards the door where their friend presumably was and almost looked ready to try making a run towards the door. James gripped his hand a little tighter.

The nurse only seemed to notice the two young men when Carlos spoke and she paused in her action when she did.

"One minute. " She moved towards them and then gave a soft smile. "You boys wouldn't happen to be James and Carlos would you?" She asked. James nodded and Carlos looked up at him, then the nurse and muttered a quiet 'yep'.

She smiled and beckoned them towards her, turning back towards the room she had been shooing them away from. When the cops began to follow her she stopped again.

"No, no. You two can sit over there and wait. Only these two are going in. "

Jones let out a huge sigh and rolled her eyes,crossing her arms over her chest, but she did as she was told and pulled O'Riorden down into a chair next to her.

The nurse led the two of them into the room. It was all white and the dark blue blind was pulled shut over the window with just a single light illuminating the room. Byron lay in the bed, his broken leg was strapped up and suspended slightly, he was heavily bandaged around his hips and he was still connected to a couple of monitors that beeped steadily. He had a drip feeding him pain-killers and he was asleep, though not peacefully. As they stood just inside the door he began to thrash and cry out as another nightmare raced through his mind.

The nurse rushed over to the bed and tried to calm him as he began to call out for someone to help him. Help him save James and Carlos. In his tortured mind he didn't know whether they were safe. He had seen Logan kill Griffin and his lover but his mind didn't seem to have processed it properly, the fear and the pain making everything that had happened in the last day or so become muddled in his head.

"Byron! Byron! Shh! It's alright. Wake up, sweetie." She gave him a gentle shake and he quietened and then his eyes began to flicker open. He stared at the ceiling and then turned to look at the nurse.

"Was I dreaming again?" She stroked his arm and smiled at him.

"Yes, my dear. But it's alright. You have visitors!"

She stepped back and beckoned the two young men forward, not really completely sure what their reaction would be. Carlos dashed forward immediately, edging the nurse out of the way and throwing his arms around the man on the bed, bursting into tears as he did. It seamed to take Byron a moment to realise that he was not dreaming, he stared down at the spiky black hair as Carlos snuggled his head against his chest, his warm tears wetting the hospital gown that he wore.

James was a little overcome and quite upset to see his father-figure like this. He face was pale with not a trace of the make-up that he usually wore and his normally spiked hair was limp and lank. He made his way around to the opposite side of the bed to his friend and gently placed his hand on Byron's chest close to Carlos' cheek. Byron flipped his gaze to the other boy as he felt his touch a choked cry leaving his lips but a smile appearing too.

"James! Carlos! You're safe!" He wrapped an arm around each and clutched them close beginning to sob loudly as his chest heaved and his eyes closed again.


	3. Does He Still Want Me?

Diamond Freed part 3

 ** _A/N So this is as far as I have gotten so far aside from a half written scene from a long way into the future!_**

Kendall was a little surprised just how late it was when he finally woke from a fitful night's sleep. At first everytime he closed his eyes he kept reliving the things that had happened during the day. No matter how hard he tried to shake it off he kept seeing the twins being murdered over and over in his head. In the end he got out of bed again and sat, alone, drinking from the bottle of vodka that he had in his cupboard. Kendall didn't normally drink much and it didn't take long before he was feeling the effects of the alcohol and then he drank just a little more until he felt completely out of it, then he had crawled back into bed.

It was now gone two in the afternoon as he slipped under the hot shower, hoping that it would help take away the thumping pain in his head. Finally dressed and after drinking two strong cups of coffee he slipped on a pair of shades and stepped out into the warm LA sunshine. He was heading to Club Rocque, he had never been there before but he knew where it was and more importantly, James was there.

Except when he got there, he wasn't.

Kendall made his way into the brightly lit foyer of the club and was extremely surprised to recognise the hostess in a basque and stockings as a member of James' fanclub. Camille was actually thrilled to see him. They had become quite friendly in the few weeks that he had worked at Twisted Desires and had waited on her table when her and her two friends came to see James everyweek. She knew that their had been fatalities at the club but didn't know exactly who had died, she was glad that it was not Kendall. She rushed towards him as he nervously entered and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Kendall! You're safe!" She let him go, wondering if she really knew him well enough for hugs, but Kendall just smiled back at her.

"Yeah. I'm good." He reached into his pocket for money to enter the club.

"You're coming to see the show?" She asked a little confused.

"Umm? Well. Sorta. I was hoping to see how James is. Oh and Carlos of course. Are they here?"

She smiled at how he tried hard to not make it obvious that he was just here to see his crush.

"He's... They. Are not here at the moment." Kendall looked disappointed.

"They've gone with the police to see Byron at the hospital, then they are going to collect their things from the club. They've been gone for a while now. They shouldn't be too long."

"Shall I come back a little later? I could leave my cell phone number and you could call me when they get back. If they don't mind me coming to see them."

The thought had crossed his mind that now that they were free, James might not even be interested in him anymore. He had seemed attracted to the blonde with all the flirting and teasing that he had done before, but it might be different now that he could have anyone he wanted. God! Kendall hoped that he wasn't going to make a fool of himself over the hazel-eyed guy.

"You could just wait, if you wanted." She told him, touching his arm. "I'm due a break in a while, come have a chat with me? I have coffee? " Yeah! She was perfectly aware that Kendall was a little hung over and she guessed that it wasn't because he had been enjoying himself. She directed him to the stairs and told him to go wait for her in the kitchen up in the living quarters, she would join him in a while when another girl came to relieve her of her post.

James and Carlos were dropped back at Club Rocque a little after five o'clock in the afternoon. They thanked the officers for the ride and made their way back into the club and back up the stairs, both carrying boxes weighed down with their few belongings. Carlos had a matching pair of 'Keep My Secrets' teddy bears balanced on the top of his box. The police officers had thought it rather sweet how tightly the Latino youth had held on to his toys. They had absolutely no idea that the bears contained several thousand dollars, tips that the young man had accumulated in the time that he had spent living and working at Twisted Desires. Money that he had never, ever gotten the chance to spend. Aside from the thousand dollars that he had given up so that the undercover cop could employ him, he hadn't ever spent a single dollar.

James had a smaller box on top of the one containing his property. Byron had told them where to find it in his dressing-room but he hadn't actually told them what it contained. He just said that the contents belonged to James and he was to wait until he was back at the club before he opened it. He was curious and had been tempted to open it while they were in the car but had eventually decided to do as he was told. Byron had promised that there was nothing to worry about with the contents, no nasty surprise coming.

As they slowly made their way up the stairs James found his mind drifting to thoughts of Kendall. He really hoped to see the blonde again but he was really worried that he may have decided to cut his loses and go home to Minnesotta or anywhere that seemed safer than where James was. Just before he reached the top of the stairs he turned to ask Carlos his opinion.

"So. Carlos. Do you think we are ever going to see Kendall again?" He gave a sad little smile as he considered the possibilty of never seeing the blond again.

"You're joking aren't ya?" His friend grinned wide. "There is no way he is going to run off and abandon you!"

James tried to feel as positive as Carlos but his heart and mind were still full of doubts.

But up in the kitchen above them the boy in question had heard them. He paused with his cup halfway to his lips, tilting his head and straining to hear if James would say anything about else about him. All he heard though was a heavy hearted sigh. Camille grinned at him as he got out of his seat and headed towards the door. Time to put his crush out of his misery.

Kendall stepped out onto the landing at the same moment as James did and the two almost bumped into each other as the brunette had been staring dejectedly at his feet and not the direction he had been travelling in. His head whipped up as he pulled himself up short, eyes opening wide and a dazzling smile gracing his lips as he realised who he had almost collided with.

"Now. Why on Earth would you ever think I would abandon you?"

The boxes hit the floor in seconds and James threw his arms around Kendall, hugging him hard almost before he realised what he was doing. As he made contact with the blonde's body he felt a shudder sweep though his whole body. It was a mixture of desire and the still alien feeling of being able to touch whoever he wanted.

And, fuck! How he wanted to touch Kendall.

More than just touch the guy.

Even through everything that had been on his mind after what had happened the day before he had still found himself dreaming of the green-eyed object of his desire. Some of the dream had actually been quite sweet and innocent. But most of it had been of the usual type, visions of lust and pleasure and naked bodies entwined.

But now? Now he was actually holding Kendall in his embrace, breathing his scent and feeling his soft skin beneath his fingertips, he wasn't sure that he ever wanted to let him go. Eventually they did break apart, Kendall helped James pick up his boxes and carried the smaller one for him, taking his hand and leading him into the kitchen. They set the boxes on the table, Carlos following them in, a huge grin on his face as the two men sat at the table beside each other. Camille was still seated at the table finishing her coffee and she prepared to excuse herself as Kelly dashed back in after seeing the police car driving away from the club.

Carlos dropped into a seat and took one of the bears from the top of the box and turned it onto it's fuzzy little tummy and opened the zipper at the back. Kelly thought it was a little odd for the grown man to have those particular bears but Carlos did seem to have a slightly child-like quality to him so she supposed that it fit. Her eyes opened wide though as he began to remove the bundles of notes from inside the toy and drop them to the table in front of him. Even James stopped giving doe-eyes at Kendall when he saw the money.

"Holy crap, Carlos! What is all that?" He exclaimed.

The Latino pulled the last roll of bills from the bear and set it aside before reaching for the second one, And this one was the original bear that Byron had bought him and it was much fuller than the first. He grinned up at his friend.

"My tips from performing at the club. I always saved them for when I got out. "

When, not if.

He removed all the rolls of bills from this bear too and then began to unroll them and stack them before him on the kitchen table He counted some out and then turned to Kelly, completely oblivious to the shocked looks of those watching, including James.

"How much does icecream cost at that store just a little way down from here? I saw it from the car on the way back. It said on the window that they do a banana split. I've never had that. Sounds nice."

Yeah. Kelly thought, definitely a child-like quality about the boy. She shook her head with a laugh, he had to be holding a couple of hundred dollars in his fist.

"Well definitely not as much as you have there!" She smiled. "Ten dollars will be more than enough." Did he really have no idea about money?

"Is that what you are going to spend all that on? " James asked with a grin. "Icecream?"

"Oh no! " Carlos giggled. "I might spend some of it on corn dogs! " Smiling he nodded towards the smaller box resting on the edge of the table.

"What are you going to spend all yours on? You must have a lot more than me."

"What? " James was puzzled by the remark, surprised when his friend shoved the box closer to him.

"Byron didn't tell you what was in that, did he? Open it."

The flaps of the box were folded to lock the box shut but they came open easily with a slight tug. Inside were stacks of bills with elastic bands holding them together, Each one holding one hundred dollars. James pulled a couple out from the top and dropped it to the table in front of him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"What's this?" He asked as Carlos grinned like a loon at him.

"Same as mine. Tips. But you are a much bigger star than me so you got more thrown than me or the other boys. You couldn't pick yours up because you were back in your cage after every performance, so Byron collected it for you and looked after it until you got out."

While the Latino spoke he crammed most of his money back into his bears before pocketing about forty or fifty dollars.

"Am I allowed to go out on my own to go to the icecream store?" He asked.

At his age, it should be perfectly fine, but he had never in his life experienced being out and about in public and Kelly was a little worried about letting him go alone.

"I'm sure someone will go with you so you don't get lost."

James was still staring at his money, counting how many bundles there were, he'd made it up to seventy five when his attention returned to the other people seated at the table around him. He kept one bundle back before closing the box back up.

"I'd like some icecream too." He announced.

"I could go with them." Kendall suggested.

Neither boy had been out alone since they had been much younger and to be honest, Kelly couldn't remember if James had ever been out on his own when he had lived at the club before. Perhaps he had? The ice cream store was not that far away, wouldn't hurt. They were both actually physically and legally adults now, that had already been established and they had to go out alone sometime. Might as well be now.

"Yeah. OK. Do you have a phone, Kendall?" She asked getting her own out of her pocket.

"Oh! Yeah, do you want my number?"

No, she didn't want to pester them when they were out, they finally had their freedom. Let them enjoy it.

"No, that's OK for now, but let me give you mine, just in case you should need it."

She took the blond's cell from him and quickly tapped her number into the phonebook.

"Don't hesitate to use it ever. If you want to talk to the boys at any time, I'm sure they will be close enough for me to pass you over to them." Hmm? Should she see about getting them phones she wondered, she'd have to talk to them about it, but not now.

Now they were about to go on an adventure. Out in public for the very first time in what should surely feel like a lifetime to them. Sure, before his mother had left James had often spent time out on the street and down on the beach with various friends and dancers from the club, but what about Carlos? She knew very little about him but what Byron and the police had told her. And apparently before he was at Twisted Desires he had been the property of a paedophile gang so who knew if he had ever been outside like this ever at all?

 _ **So that is it for now. Give me time and something may happen!**_

 _ **Allie )O(**_


End file.
